Immortal Eternity
by NyteKit
Summary: Two groups of under worldly creatures, battling for control. One human fated to bring either group to victory. King of the Vampires and King of the Lycans, both falling for the human that will destroy one or the other. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **Vampires and werewolves battling for their continued survival and the human who will destroy one set of dreams. Will likely become M/M/M relationship story towards the end. Characters will be revealed in the next few chapters.

Also, for those who began reading my old fic Timeless Eternity, this is kind of a remake of it. I'm going to delete TE from the site. This one follows the same storyline as TE, but I changed a lot of things around. Hopefully, it's for the better. TE will be deleted because I couldn't figure a way to update it with all the changes that have been made.

**Disclaimer:** Like every other time I've written one, like every other author who has written one, like every other fan who wishes to write one, I do not own anything.

**Summary:** Two groups of under worldly creatures, battling for control. One human fated to bring either group to victory. King of the Vampires and King of the Lycans, both falling for the human that will destroy one or the other.

**Warnings:  
**1) Possible MMM towards end

* * *

**:Immortal Eternity:  
****Prologue**

It is an age old war going on. Even after more than two millennia of battles, we have yet to be noticed by them. We wage war right under their noses, in their own cities! And there is still only a nominal few who even notice us. Even less dare challenge us. And only one has remained completely human after doing so.

We both battle and bask in the moonlight. In front of their eyes but never seen. Fangs are bared; ears are twitched; tails are lost; creatures are killed. Always under the beautiful pale moon.

Thus is the timeless voyage of the vampires and the lycans.

For the past 200 years, the brutality of our war has increased ten fold, and both races are being continually decimated. But we don't stop. We can't stop. For the first to show signs of surrender is as good as dead.

So we continue. On and on. Under the humans' notice yet not discovered.

They really are a meagerly species. Not even realizing that some of their own have been taken and transformed. Huh, serial kidnapper, indeed!

But there is one…One who is said to be able to bring this war to an end once found; one whose birth has been awaited for centuries; one who, once converted, will bring victory to either the vampires or the lycans.

Twenty-five years ago tomorrow he was first born. And for twenty-five years he has subconsciously stayed all attempts to convert him. But tomorrow, it will begin. He will soon become consciously aware. And then, hm, he will be fair game. Ha, ha, ha…

_&&&&&&&&_

Bullets flew, pristine teeth flashed, mournful screams of the dying sounded. The day was almost here; the day that had been awaited for millennias. He would become twenty-five. Aware.

Coats flapped and de-transformation commenced. The sun was rising. It was an agreed upon rule that no battle would take place during daylight hours.

And today was THE day. No, no battles would happen right now. Now, the attentions of both supposedly mythical groups would be centered upon one human.

Vampires and werewolves alike vanished into the shadows.

Today was the day.

Today marked the beginning of the end of the war.

* * *

Again, my inspiration for this story originally came from watching _Underworld_ and reading hcolleen's "Vampire Games". Anyone who likes vampire stories, I really recommend you read it.

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Okay, so I'm posting this chapter directly after the prologue simply because I changed nothing in the prologue from Timeless Eternity. Like I said, the plot hasn't changed. This is the first chapter that has been edited, though not a lot. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**  
Chapter 1**

_I still remember how it happened; how I became a part of this world, with them. It was one odd and unusual meeting, surely, but it did happen. And from where these events lead, I cannot turn back._

The night was calm, at first, or as calm as a city night could get. Wind blew, sweeping the obvious effects of humans littering across the roads. The occasional drifter could be seen rifling through a dumpster. The noise made was soft, but there, yet still didn't explain the quick thudding that could be heard. In the alleyway across from the town's main street, a male figure ran as fast as he could. It wasn't obvious from whom he was running as the other steps seemed calm, almost leisurely in pace. Both sets of footsteps merely blended into the night until—

"Dammit!"

—a shout was heard, damaging the illusion.

A gun shot sounded as the man that yelled fell forward. A shorter male, this one with black hair pointing straight up with a sharp contrast of white across the center, walked slowly towards him and kicked away the gun lying near his hand. The short figure wore baggy black pants with a sleeveless black shirt and a white bandana low on his forehead. The long black leather coat he wore reached all the way to his ankles so that he almost blended in with the night. He stood no taller than 5'2".

When the light from a passing car passed the pair, a childlike face was highlighted. The fact that it was the shorter male with the innocent visage served to reaffirm the old quote, don't judge a book by its cover. Having this seemingly angelic face often caused his…prey, for lack of a better word, to doubt him. The mistake was easily remedied by their death. No one yet has underestimated him twice, seeing as they weren't given that second chance. He was a bounty hunter and he always got his kill. Nowadays, all that was needed from the bounty was some kind of proof; a dead body sufficed.

The hunter moved towards the man he had shot down, intending to collect the wallet and go to the police station, but instead stopped mid-step. Standing in the alley quietly, he spoke, seemingly to himself. "Come out, I know you're here." He raised his gun to shooting level and aimed at the shadows.

A dark silhouette stepped out from directly behind him and smirked. The figure seemed able to use the darkness to hide much of himself as the hunter couldn't get a good visual. "How are you, Hiei?" asked a voice deep enough for said hunter to assess the person's masculinity.

The hunter, thus called Hiei, turned quickly, gun still raised, and took in the other's dark clothing. Hair that appeared blonde to him, and bright lime-green eyes were the only visuals of color that he perceived.

Wanting to ask who the male was, he blinked when the words, "What the hell are you?" spilled from his mouth instead. But instinct told him it was the right question to ask, so he allowed it to stand. Instinct was very useful when it came to keeping him alive.

"What am I?" the stranger repeated with an emphasis on 'what', his smirk widening so that very white teeth were showing. "I think the real question is what are you; or more, what do you want to be?" His eyes flashed to an almost golden color before returning to their odd lime shade.

The hunter frowned at the cliché question he had been asked since a young child, yet somehow knew that the meanings behind the two were not the same. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

A dark chuckle escaped lips hidden in darkness before, "You'll find out soon enough." The man stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

"What the hell?" Hiei questioned aloud blinking at where the…person had stood a few seconds ago. "What in the hells is going on?" he asked to the world at large.

Suddenly, a phone rang, causing the short bounty hunter to spin with his gun raised and ready, before realizing it was his own. He flipped it open, already knowing who it was. Scowling down the now empty alleyway, he answered, "What is it?"

"Sociopath, where are you?" the elderly voice on the phone demanded.

"Nowhere," he answered shortly, expecting the retort.

"Smartass. Get over here, now. I've got a job for you." The phone flipped shut.

"Damn," he cursed apathetically. There went his bounty. There was no way he could stop by the police station first. Instead, he left the man for some poor sap who needed the cash. Kuwabara would be furious. Heh, that thought almost made his deviation worth it. Smirking, he exited into the streets.

_&&&&&&&&&&_

The earlier scene of the night didn't place much of a lasting effect on the hunter as it wasn't the first time something like it had happened. For years Hiei had trained with his mentor Genkai - who he was going to see - to sense and fight supernatural begins: demons, angels, and all those in between. He had yet to come face to face with a member of any group, but could always sense them. Though, that was more natural talent than anything.

Genkai was just beginning to allow him "on-the-job" training, despite his nagging her for years. Now that he had met one, he could understand why. That creature he met tonight exuded little more than power without any obvious signs of trying. Not to say Hiei was scared. No, on the contrary, he welcomed the challenge. You never knew how strong you were until you tested it against someone stronger.

After sprinting for a mere five minutes, Hiei arrived at his mentor's dojo from the other side of town, not even winded. His greeting when he arrived? "About time you got here." He scowled at his teacher's terse greeting.

"Crazy bitch," he stated calmly before immediately getting down to business. "What do you have for me?"

The short woman, even shorter than him, with faded pink hair entered her dojo without responding. Completely used to this treatment, Hiei simply set his normal scowl to his face before following. Genkai lost her shoes at the door, as was the custom, while Hiei continued through without stopping.

"What is it?" he demanded, ready to leave despite his just arriving.

"I have information that you need to hear." She entered the kitchen then and made herself a cup of tea, allowing her student time to stew. When she reentered the room, one of his deepest glares was set into his face. She sat, eyes closed, calmly sipping her tea - though she had to be laughing at him on the inside - as he became angrier. Patience was not his strong suit.

"Would you get on with it!"

"Quiet, Hiei." Sharp brown eyes quickly silenced the forthcoming automatic retort. She sipped her tea again. "This is about your parents."

The statement caused the hunter to pause for a second. Recovering quickly, he then responded, "What's there to know? They left me, went off and got killed, and here I am."

Genkai shook her head and took a sip of her tea again. "No, Hiei, that's not what happened."

"What do you mean? You're the one who told me." Eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion at his always trustworthy mentor, the only person he ever let his guard down around.

"I lied."

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction at the calmly made statement before settling into the placid mask of nonchalance he used during his bounty hunts, one he was sure his teacher couldn't see through. "Tell me."

"Why?" she asked, implying her reason for dishonesty. Knowing this, he nodded shortly. "Because it had to be done." The frown he wore grew deeper in his confusion. "You couldn't know before the appropriate time."

"Couldn't know what?" His voice was filled with mainly confusion now.

She fixed him with a look, eyes locked on his own, and spoke, "Your parents were a werewolf and a vampire."

_&&&&&&&&&&_

Footsteps were heard rushing down the stone hallway. Though, if the person walking cared to glance around, 'hallway' would not have been the word chosen to describe the area. It more resembled a tunnel, a sewer tunnel, to be exact. Either way, the feet continued to move at a slow jog. When they made it to the end of the hall, their owner immediately went to his knees in an expedite bow before standing again.

"Sire," he spoke breathily, blonde hair clinging to his forehead, which was wet with perspiration.

His leader sat in a chair that seemed almost regal in the dirty sewage waters. He had short black hair that seemed to almost shine in certain lighting and mocha colored eyes with yellow lining around the irises. He wore black ragged pants with an equally black and tattered tank. On his feet were black army boots. He sat upright in the polished wooden chair with his legs open, staring at his follower, and nodded his assent to speak.

"My king, she has revealed."

A slow, wicked grin spread across his sire's face until both entire rows of his teeth seemed to show, all of them canines.

Simultaneously, in another part of town, another being, this one with ice blue eyes, was reporting the same information to his own master. Moving quickly, the owner of the blue eyes seemed to flash through the Victorian-styled great room and into the intricately furnished office of his master. The spy stared unblinkingly into his master's amazing emerald eyes that easily portrayed his many years of experience and wisdom, if one dared look. In the messenger's opinion, the only time those eyes were more beautiful was when overtaken with blood lust, or…any other kind of lust.

This green-eyed master sat in a richly padded chair behind a carved oak desk covered with multiple loose papers and an unused lamp. He wore a long-sleeved white button-up shirt with frills around the neck and wrists. The top two buttons were left undone, revealing a pale strip of flesh, managing to blend wonderfully with the rest of his dark leather attire: a black vest, pants, and boots. All of these elements combined easily accentuated the master's natural beauty. The flowing river of crimson red hair falling over his shoulders even managed to bring out the brilliant green of his eyes even more.

He watched his servant as the blue eyes held his gaze even as the head in which they were embedded lowered slightly in a type of bow.

"Master, the one called Genkai, she has told him," The report was spoken softly as a devious yet amatory smirk crossed the master's face.

The time had come.

* * *

I said in the prologue that the idea for this came from _Underworld_ and "Vampire Games" by hcolleen, but as I got more into it, Laurell K. Hamilton's _Anita Blake Vampire Hunter_ series seemed to get ingrained in there as well. Not much, but there are a few instances. 

Yes, so, **review **and tell me if you like it. If you were a reader of Timeless Eternity, let me know if you like thisversion better.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank You! **Inu.Roxs, KyoHana, Kitara Jaganshi, and Chiisai Mu

**Author's Notes: **Okay, so I looked over the last update I've done for this now changed story, and I noticed I didn't give any props to the person who helped me with my edits! What is wrong with me! Goodness, Chiisai, I totally apologize for that.

So, yeah, _Chiisai Mu_ was the authoress person to read over my first two rewritten chapters and the third chapter that I've written for this story. It's because of her that I was able to make such changes to this story. So, thank you again! And, everyone should go read her stories. She's definitely awesome.

And let me see, I have some recommendations for stories by her that I love: Murderous Insanity, Fetal Flesh, Self Righteous Suicide, By Love, Dedication, But Say Not, Fox and Fool, Poetic Justice, and AntiLiberation. Yep, a lot, but she's written a lot more. So, check them out, 'kay? Kay!

**Disclaimer:** All names and titles of buildings that are not my own belong wholly and completely to Ms Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake series. Though I love it, I definitely don't own it.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Hiei stared at his mentor with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. This expression wasn't kept for long because of how foreign it was to him. Instead, seconds later, his face rejected it and once again became passive. "What?" he demanded harshly, narrowing his eyes.

Genkai sipped her drink again and peered at him over the mug's rim as if to say "you heard right". Her student stared at her with hard eyes, subconsciously doing his best to keep any emotion from appearing in them. However, it seemed even his best efforts proved futile when the old master continued to speak.

"It was against the natural laws of both groups, but it was to happen," she spoke solemnly, as if what she was about to say would somehow lose importance if spoken any louder. "They met on the battlefield; your mother with the vampires, your father the lycans. Though a relationship such as theirs was forbidden by both groups, they continued to meet."

"Idiots," the hunter muttered, then glanced away when his mentor's eyes found him.

"Your mother," the old woman continued after a moment, "became impregnated with you and left her clan early on the night you were born. She and your father met as they had planned, and escaped into the night. She gave birth to you at the darkest hour, 3 AM."

'The Witching Hour,' Hiei thought scathingly. Though he wasn't an especially superstitious person, he had heard the story as a young child. And as it was with children, the tale had been stored safely in his memory for easy recovery.

In the old fable, the Witching Hour was the time when demons and other preternatural creatures roamed the planet at their most powerful, and their most evil. At first, he believed this information to be useless, but now, he wondered if his time of birth held any connection with the tale. If what Genkai had said was true, as it must be, then perhaps the myth was more than just that.

Genkai continued to tell her student her story, this one of how she became his guardian. "The next day, your father found me, and that night he and your mother brought you here. Then, they returned to their own people. I was never informed of their fates, which is just as well." The last was spoken softly and seemed to hold more meaning than the words alone.

Hiei's brow furrowed minutely in confusion, but she neither elaborated nor continued for a time. He didn't ask why she wished not to know of his parents' fates and so, received no answer.

A sigh escaped her throat as the woman looked to the wall instead of the boy in front of her. One look at those brown eyes told her student that she was lost in her own memories; likely, those of his parents. In truth, the old master _was_ reliving a memory. She was remember the night her toughest responsibility was dropped into her lap.

_Two figures raced up the stairs to a dojo surrounded on each side by woods. The owner of the dojo had taken the liberty of removing wards that were constantly active so her visitors could enter without fear. The woman went by the name Genkai, and was much younger than her present counterpart. Her hair was still the vibrant pink color of her youth and her eyes, though bright, held the wisdom she carried from her already numerous trials. _

_The two silhouettes stepped upon the top step, which spanned out as a concrete walkway. With only the moon as light, the only features that could me made out were what revealed them to be a man and a woman. The female was leaning slightly against the male as she breathed deeply. Upon closer inspection, a small bundle was discovered in the woman's arms._

_The pair moved quickly towards the younger Genkai and managed to step into a flood of light from a porch lamp in the process. With the added illumination, the female was shown to have hair a beautiful aqua blue color tied back in a low ponytail with strands sticking to her damp forehead. Her eyes were a deep red color, and, at the moment, seemed wide with fright. The male stood taller than both women. His hair was wild, revealing his nature, and completely black. His eyes were a dark color — blue, brown, or black — with a bright tint around the irises. Both of them seemed tired and worn out, and wore clothes that were ripped, muddy, and bloody, and that had obviously seen better days._

_They advanced on Genkai, she older in physical appearance only. Quick orders came from her, "Bring him inside. Then, change your clothes and return. Alone."_

_Rushing to comply, the couple set their bundle down on a mat that had been set up. Immediately after, the two adults entered a separate room from which they returned minutes later, clean and in nicer clothes than the ones they previously owned. Both were wondering how the young female had managed to find something their correct sizes. Bu,t the time to ask never came as they reentered the first room and were shoved out after one last glance to the bundle each._

"_Leave. Separately," was the firm order from the young owner of the dojo as she forced them to exit. They thanked her profusely before doing as she said. As they left, Genkai turned back to her door. A loud wailing was sounding from inside. Her new bundle of preternatural energy had awakened, somehow seeming aware that an exchange of great significance to his life had just taken place. _

The master blinked, coming back to herself from the five-second memory. Even knowing her mentee could tell when she was herself again, she continued to procrastinate with silence. Finally working herself up to speaking again, she opened her mouth, but never got the chance as her student spoke.

"I'm going."

She knew she had waited too long.

Genkai turned her eyes to his, and as they met, a quick, silent conversation passed between student and teacher:

'_You don't want to tell me.'_

'_I have to.'_

'_You're a coward.'_

'_I am.'_

'_I don't want to know.'_

'_Now who's being a coward?'_

The mentee's glare ended their unspoken conversation.

"You need to hear this," Genkai stressed aloud as a last ditch effort.

"No," he said before speedily exiting the home. He heard neither the exhaled "idiot" by his guardian of sorts, nor his part in the story. He never heard the part that might keep him alive.

_&&&&&&&&&&_

Hiei ran through the streets quickly, appearing no more than a fleeting image in random intervals, towards the apartment complex he frequented for sustenance and rest. To those who knew him, it would be apparent he had something on his mind. His normally hard, red eyes were swimming in bouts of confusion. Only his mentor, as far as he knew, would have any idea why. His mother, his father, both of whom he'd held with a degree of loathing were now hated even more for simply being who, or what, they were. If Genkai had meant for their talk to make him forgive his parents, she had truly thought wrong.

Though, the more he thought on it, the more he realized nothing changed. His parents still left him alone and, likely, died. Nothing had changed but, for some reason, it seemed worse now. Maybe it was because even his damned mentor had been hiding the truth from him. A strangled growl passed through his lips, which forced him to realize the level of his own anger, and, thus, try to rid himself of it of the emotion, knowing irrational thinking got one nowhere.

'But emotions are not so easily repressed,' the male thought with an irritated look.

Coming upon the door that led to his apartment building, Hiei pulled his keys from his pocket. Each tenant of the complex had a key to enter the complex and another to enter their separate homes. In the middle of using the first of those keys, the hunter suddenly stopped.

"Shit," was all he whispered before, quick as sound, he spun around, kneeled to the floor, and held his gun at two-hand ready position, one thumb of the safety. Standing before him was a male with a shock of wild red hair that looked windswept, despite the fact that the night air was calm. He had pointed elfin-like ears that seemed even more so when he was excited. Right now they seemed almost elongated as his wide dark blue eyes revealed his surprise. His mouth, already slightly open, began to spread into a lively grin.

"Whoo wee, Hiei! Ya always know how ta get me blood movin', ya do!"

Hiei made a low noise resembling a growl in his throat before standing and holstering his gun. "What is it, Jin?" he demanded. He was used to the boy being so hyper, sure in his belief that he had attention deficit hyper disorder, but he never got over how easily Jin could sneak up on him. Not many could.

"Ain't ya goin' ta 'vite me in?" the boy — called so because of attitude more than age — asked.

"What do you want, Jin?" The hunter repeated tersely. He was not in the mood for games tonight.

Jin pouted, but couldn't hold the expression for long due to his carefree nature. "Sumone wants ta meet wit' ya."

"Why and when?" the now known hybrid asked almost absently. It wasn't uncommon for Jin to bring him information about someone wanting an execution. Sometimes it was legal, sometimes it wasn't. It never mattered because he always did such a thorough job that no one would even think of asking him or his 'clients' about it. Either way, it was always Hiei's own interest that decided whether he met with the client or not. He didn't waste time on those that didn't grasp his attention.

"Nuther hunt and tanight."

"Story."

Jin shrugged, though the shorter man was scanning the streets and sidewalks for eavesdropping neighbors and not looking at him. "Heh didn't tell me." This caused Hiei to turn to the smiling redhead with a confused eyebrow raised. He grinned more, "Said he wanted ta tell ya himself, he did."

Hiei blinked, half out of confusion and half out of intrigue. What was it this client wanted done that he wouldn't tell his messenger? Already he could tell that this was more than just a regular bounty hunt. "What time?" he finally asked.

"A' soon a' ya accept," was the response as the grin widened more than should have been humanly possible, even for the hyper-active boy. The hunter's eyes narrowed slightly as a thought crossed his mind: the message sender had known he would take the bait.

Despite what many of Hiei's clients believed upon first seeing him, he was a very thorough strategist. He was able to assess a job as well as the one paying for it and easily decide the best course of action. He was definitely not one to be toyed with, and didn't enjoy being treated as such. Seems this was another person he would have to prove it to.

"Let's go," the hunter ordered. He was a firm believer in using any reasons available to get one's mind off a certain topic. Without even knowing it, Jin had brought him a mental and emotional reprieve.

"Where are we meeting?" Hiei asked, pocketing his keys after re-locking the door.

The redhead responded, "The Lunatic Café," and gave a sidelong glance and grin to his companion. "Les' race!" he exclaimed before taking off. Being one of the few people Hiei let in, he knew the man would follow. Couldn't resist a challenge and all that.

The two sprinted three miles towards where the hunter had earlier killed a bounty before turning off the main highway and onto a dirt road. They were moving so fast that both seemed to be flying on air. Jin was grinning enthusiastically with excited child-on-Christmas-morning eyes and complete elf ears, while Hiei was smirking, yet managing to keep his emotions bottled so nothing he didn't want to would slip, like that he was actually enjoying himself.

The pair soon came upon a small weathered building, but instead of slowing, kicked up the speed. The door of what looked something like an abandoned warehouse approached, yet the race continued. It wasn't until they had gotten within five feet of the door did either stop. And when they did, both of their feet were even, no arms were in front. It was a tie.

Jin whooped, "Tha' was that best fun me had in awhile, i' was!" Ignoring his companion, Hiei walked to the door and waited to enter after his escort.

Knowing The Lunatic Café was a popular hang-out for some type of supernatural creature, but not being sure at which kind, caused the shorter man to be cautious, even more so than usual. When he entered behind Jin, his eyes immediately began to roam around the room. It looked normal enough: a bar towards the center, a small stage to the far left for the rare entertainment, tables and diners populating the area, and waiters and waitresses bringing food and drinks to customers. Normal. In fact, if it hadn't been for his training, Hiei might not have notice anything odd at all. As it was, the uninhibited power of the creatures in the building was enough to make his skin prickle. It made him glad he had brought his sword; he always preferred a sword fight to a gun fight. And if the slightly feral smirk now decorating his face was any indication, he was definitely hoping for a fight.

Clearing his face, he then looked to Jin for some kind of change in his composure or demeanor to prove he had also felt something, but only found the boy speaking animatedly to a waitress as if he didn't notice. In his mind, that made him an inhibition if a fight started, even if he was trained.

"Heya, Hiei!" Jin called. "Les' go. He's here." With a huge grin and wave, he walked away from the waitress and towards a door at the back of the room. Feeling every eye focus on them when they passed, Hiei grated his teeth to suppress the almost insane urge to glare at them all.

They came upon a door with a sign on it that read 'Employees Only'. The sign was given less than a glance by the one leading before it was pushed opened to show a narrow hallway, though Hiei knew that neither of them worked there. The hunter paused at the door, frowning at nothing in particular before continuing through.

The pair continued to walk until they reached another door that somehow held the aura of finality. The fact that the taller and red-haired male was unnaturally quiet the entire time caused the bounty hunter's anticipation to rise even as the door opened. Making sure his messenger entered first, he followed quickly after. Something about this didn't feel right and the hunter had learned to rely on his instincts. But even with all evidence telling him to stop, he didn't.

The room they entered had the look of an office. The walls were painted a simple white matched by the immaculately polished linoleum floor. In the center of the room rested a large rectangular table where four males were seated. At the head of the table sat who Hiei figured to be the one ordering the job. Somehow, everyone else seemed below this person.

Time itself seemed to come to a stop as each eye fixed on the two entering. Looking around, Hiei noticed Jin had gone to one knee before the man in the closest chair. Arching an eyebrow, the invitee glanced from him to the male. He gave him a skeptical once over - black hair, brown eyes, short leather jacket, nothing special. But when the man nodded, Jin stood and took a seat at the table with the other four.

As he did, the obvious head honcho stood with a smile that reached his eyes and made Hiei immediately distrust him. There was something in those eyes…

The man walked towards the hunter with a bit of a cocky swagger that matched the slight smirk on his lips that seemed to dare anyone to mess with him. The shorter man's eyes trailed over the leader now that he was standing. This time noticing he wore faded blue jeans and a green tank under the jacket.

The man reached his hand out to Hiei before introducing himself, "Hey. I'm Yusuke, the one hiring you." Hiei took the man's hand in a shake. But the moment he did, a shock passed through him. He jerked his hand back, eyes a little wider than normal. That little touch was all he needed.

"What is this?" he demanded glaring at the one in front of him. Yusuke's cocky grin widened, showing teeth. Chancing a quick glance to the seated Jin, the hunter only saw him looking down at the table, avoiding his gaze. He returned his cold glare to the one in front of him.

"What's up?" Yusuke asked, his puzzled tone completely offset by the grin he wore and causing Hiei, even without his suspicion, to believe the boy a horrible liar.

Placing distance between himself and the other members of the room, the bounty hunter reached to his back with his right hand. His smoldering gaze remained on Yusuke while he watched those at the table with his peripheral vision. He pulled the silver katana from his back and got into a ready stance, tense but prepared.

"Werewolves," he spoke softly and with much contempt, eyes scanning the group assembled and lingering briefly on Jin. The eyes of the ones at the table were fixed on their leader. Hiei looked back to him to find his eyes alight with a supernatural glow, though the grin he wore did not fade.

A frown crossed his face as the leader spoke, "Yes, we are."

* * *

Hee! See, no plot changes, though I did add in a bit. What'd you think of the Witching Hour relation? Hm, you know, there's this little button down there that will let you tell me. You should press it. It's such a wonderful tool. 


	4. Chapter 3

Oh, look! It's the much awaited chapter three! Imagine that!

Truthfully, I'm really sorry I didn't update earlier. It's been waiting on my computer for awhile, but by the time I got around to updating, school had started for me. And it's been hectic for the past two weeks. I know it's not an excuse, but hey, can't blame a girl for trying!

Anyways, here you go!

_(again, no page breaking)_

The werewolf king's grin went from predatory and cocky to that of mere excitement in less than a second. His eyes lost their supernatural glow and were overtaken by a more contented gleam. This sudden change in his demeanor confused Hiei enough that his face actually scrunched minutely. Yusuke turned to his followers seated at the table still smiling. "See boys, what'd I tell ya?" he gloated.

Jin and another male with blue hair cut into a Mohawk and tied back in a low ponytail grinned back just as enthusiastically. The unknown one said, "Righ' you were, Yusuke." One of the other males at the table who seemed vaguely familiar to Hiei only nodded slightly as did the last. The first had long white hair while the other was completely bald.

Yusuke stood, grinning goofily with his eyes closed and fists on his hips. He chuckled as if there wasn't one standing behind him with a sword poised to strike; and as if this person didn't mind being ignored or not understanding a situation, both of which were happening at that moment.

The hunter growled lowly. "I suggest," he began, "you explain." Here he paused, to glare hard enough that the leader had to feel in on his back. "Now."

The leader stopped laughing then as if remembering his current task. He turned back to face Hiei with his grin downplayed into a slight smirk, though he couldn't completely hide his emotions as his eyes still held mirth in them. "Hey, sorry, man. How 'bout we sit down and I tell you what this is really about?" he offered.

Examining the werewolf through narrowed eyes, Hiei decided he was no threat at the moment and sheathed his sword before following him to the table. He opted to sit at the opposite end from Yusuke so he could see everyone in the room as well as the only door. This also placed him the farthest away from the door should he need to make a quick escape, but nothing could be done about that. Folding his arms across his chest and sitting back in the plain chair, the hunter waited.

"Okay, before we get into these explanations and everything, let's get these intros out the way," the king began in speech more fit for a street punk than the leader of any group. "I'm Yusuke, werewolf king or Ulfric, if you're into titles."

"This is Hokushin," he pointed to the man close to him on his left who was bald with plain brown eyes, "my second-in-command."

His finger moved to the white-haired male seated on his right with deep sea blue eyes as he said, "That's Lance."

"This is Chuu," the guy with the long Mohawk tied with a red tie and dark brown eyes seated next to Lance and, incidentally, Hiei's left. "And you know Jin."

With each name spoken, Hiei's eyes followed, but when they got to Jin, they lingered for moments longer after Yusuke had spoken his name. The boy still refused to acknowledge him, despite that they were seated almost right next to each other. But even while avoiding him, Jin couldn't lose that cheerful nature as he was smiling at everyone and everything else. Then, the bounty hunter's eyes wandered back to Lance. For some reason, he felt as if he should remember him. He was still trying to figure it out when Yusuke began speaking again.

"So you wanna know why I had Jin go through all this to get you here, right?" the king asked with a smirk. The hunter merely stared at him, beginning to understand that the smirk was just another part of his personality and lacked the arrogance most carried when wearing one.

"I want you to join us," Yusuke replied happily, not daunted by his lack of response.

Had he been looking anywhere else, a classic double take would have been in order. As it were, his red eyes merely hardened into a glare mixed with confusion. Sure he had misheard him, Hiei asked for a repeat, "What?"

The Ulfric merely nodded before going further in his explanation, "With you with me, we can defeat the vampires easily. You could help us win and end the war."

Hiei held his gaze. "Why should I?" he asked, causing the king's smug attitude to drop into confusion.

"To help your fellow humans," he replied as if it were obvious. "They're being dragged…" He trailed off as Hiei shook his head.

"They aren't my problem," the hunter replied.

Yusuke stared at him with a hint of anger, "Whaddyou mean they aren't your problem? You're the one chosen to lead them."

"Chosen by whom?"

"Some old oracle or something, but that—" he waved his hand as if to disregard the question, "—isn't important. The point is you're the human meant to save all the others. You can't refuse."

Snorting derisively, the hunter stood as the king now was. "There are two problems with your logic." He met Yusuke's perplexed chocolate gaze and continued, "One, I can easily refuse this if I want. And two, I'm not human."

The wolf seemed to fall further into confusion, causing Hiei's slight respect for him to falter. But being that werewolves always helped each other in their pack, the concept that this hunter refused to do the same was very odd, especially considering Yusuke was protective of his own even before, as a human. "What do you mean?"

A smirk even the hunter himself knew seemed evil curved upon his childlike face. "Don't tell me you didn't know my father."

For a long moment, no one moved. The eyes of each werewolf were trained on their leader. Finally, said leader heaved a sigh and sat. He spoke softly, almost reverently, with his eyes glued to the table in front of him, "Yeah, I knew him."

The genuine anguish in the werewolf's voice actually caused Hiei's grin to falter. Some of his attitude slipped away at the sound of one defeated, or in great pain. The grip he held on the table loosened as guilt came upon him, though guilt for what, he wasn't sure. That it hurt him to see the boy in obvious pain was something he'd question later, after this meeting was complete.

Eventually, the Ulfric looked up with his customary smirk, though this one didn't quite reach his eyes as the others had. "Okay Hiei, I'll leave you alone for now. You can leave. But know that I won't give up. I never do." He met the hybrid's eyes, "I never do."

The hunter frowned at the comment and practically being ordered out of the club, but didn't argue since it was just a different means to the same end. Although, exiting on his own terms would have suited his pride much better.

_&&&&&&&&&&&_

Walking out of the Lunatic Café, Hiei noticed the sun peek over the clouds in the east. Remaining still for a moment, he simply took in the sight. Unknown to many, the hunter did appreciate beauty; there just weren't many things — natural or otherwise — that he found worth proper notice.

As he began the run to his living quarters, the question dominating his thoughts was 'why'. Why did seeing the wolf upset cause his own demeanor to change? The occurrence was odd enough to warrant immediate, if not effective, examination. But, of course, no reason would come to mind.

At least one good came from the meeting, the hybrid thought. Now, I know the part in this war they wish me to play. They expect me to end their war.

He unlocked the door to his apartment, internally shaking his head, either in amazement or because of the sheer idiocy of the request. Like he'd said, this war was not his problem, ending it was not his concern.

Bypassing the living room he entered was simple for Hiei, even without sunlight or lamplight. Although he usually could not see, he could sense where the black couch and plush chair were. The off-white carpet he could feel under his boots, and the two red pillows on either corner of the couch were almost visible in the darkness. He knew a short, simple glass table rested in the area where the couch and chair met, and that there was no television in the room to worry about hitting.

It was always simple memory on his part, the same experienced by every other human when maneuvering in their homes want of illumination. But this early morning, as he stared at the items in the room with a small amount of astonishment, it seemed he was actually able to see many of them. It was as if, instead of just having the knowledge of their placement, he could actually see the glass table, the couch, though the blackness created by thick curtains across the windows should have bled into the darkness of the room. He blinked slowly, expecting his vision to return to normal, but it didn't. Then, he had a moment of clarification where his previously dormant genes of vampire and werewolf came into question. Perhaps, this was one effect of his…powers becoming active. Deciding that must be it, the hunter cast that particular concern aside, for now.

To the left of where he had entered was another door. This one led to the only bedroom and the master bathroom. It was this path Hiei took to reclaim the rest lost from the previous night. Walking into his bedroom, the hybrid declined turning on the light yet again, and instead fell into his bed as he was: sweaty, dirty clothes, and all.

Falling into the darkness known to those who favored it as sleep, the hunter rested for a short while. Short, for it was barely two hours later when a loud noise woke him again. Blinking his eyes, Hiei looked around the room, scrunching his eyes when they met sunlight shining around the thick curtains over his window. As his sleep-fogged mind cleared, the hunter realized that the irksome sound was a telephone.

"What?" was his oh-so-welcoming greeting after the phone had rung for the fifth time.

"Shrimp, where's that bounty you promised?" the voice on the phone requested in a way that made it seem more of a shout than a calmly asked question.

The hunter blinked once more and glanced at the digital clock on the dresser next to the phone cradle. It read 7:48 AM. His head moved slowly from the clock to the cordless telephone he held, glaring at the electronic device with an expression akin to disgust.

Bringing the telephone back to his ear, he gritted, "Can't this wait until later, Kuwabara?" The male was the only one who ever dared to insult him every time they communicated, and 'shrimp' was definitely not a favored nickname, indicating who it was.

"No, it can't," Kuwabara replied loudly. "You promised to bring in a bounty last night. And now, it's eight o'clock and you're still sleeping! Where's my bounty?"

Hiei barely suppressed a growl at the other's continual increase in volume in order to say, "I can hear you, fool."

"Then where is it?"

Swallowing a retort in favor of ending the conversation and returning to sleep, the hybrid explained where the body was and why he hadn't brought it in. He, of course, excluded Genkai's explanations to him and everything thereafter. Instead, covering it up by saying his mentor had a job for him to do.

"Good," Kuwabara said after writing down everything Hiei told him. "I'll give you an hour. Meet us there by nine."

"No."

"You have to be there to get the bounty," he explained, voice sounding not unlike whining to the sleepy bounty hunter.

"Don't need it."

"Look, shrimp, you've gotta be there to ID the body, whether you want the money or not. So, be there!" The click of the phone signaled the male's hanging up.

The hybrid growled and threw the telephone into the nearest wall, damning himself for buying the contraption, the phone for not breaking when he threw it and himself again for actually listening to the oaf. Splashing water on his face in the bathroom, he also damned Genkai for forcing him to "socially interact" when the old hermit didn't herself.

His only solace was that he could cause Kuwabara more hell if he was there in person instead of connected over the miles by telephone.

He showered quickly, hissing when the warm water hit his back where he slept with his katana still in the back sheath. Reminding himself to never be tired enough to forget that again, he redressed in a dark blue tank, black pants, and the same leather boots from the night before. Grabbing one of his less powerful guns, he exited the apartment. A stronger gun was not usually needed during daylight hours, and a lightweight one was more easily hidden by his clothing.

Jogging instead of sprinting, probably just to tick off Kuwabara, the hunter arrived to the area he had described by nine thirty. He walked past all of the cops on duty without issue. Everyone on the force knew about his odd friendship of sorts with their chief. Though, the yells of obvious argument that escaped the office whenever the man visited the station were enough to make many of them wonder if the two really were friends.

Hiei walked up to the chief of police and said, "Shut up," before the taller man could even open his mouth. He looked up at the man everyone called by his surname, his complete name being Kazuma Kuwabara. An odd curl of orange hair was set atop his head above small, almost black, beady eyes and broad shoulders. He had a muscular build that easily revealed his physical strength, unlike the hunter's own lithe frame. Said male didn't quite reach the officer's shoulders.

"Why do you need me?" Hiei grumbled to his companion.

Kuwabara scowled down at him. "Just ID the body," he ordered. The hunter of the bounty revealed the name of the now-deceased John Doe. The chief gave the information to one of his men to check and compare against the body.

"Is that it?" the shorter man demanded.

"Look, you know the procedure. They've got to check this guy's identity, compare it to the one you just gave me, and then bring you down to give you the money."

"I already told you, I don't need it. If this is the only reason you called me down here, I'll—"

"It's protocol!" the chief shouted at him.

"I. Don't. Care." Hiei spoke evenly, threatening the police officer with his burning eyes. To his credit, the taller man didn't back down, but instead gave his own, albeit less perfected, glare.

"You should, Shrimp. I didn't have to call you."

The hunter's gaze seemed to simultaneously intensify and deaden before he spoke, "You are an idiot."

Kuwabara reddened. "You know what? Next time I'll give your money to some lazy hunter who happens to wander in," he said, knowing Hiei's intense hatred of anyone who never did any work to better themselves.

"Fine," the male sighed and turned to leave. He'd barely turned the corner, sure in his return to sleep, when he ran into the possible last person he expected to see.

"Jin!"

He suddenly became very aware that he had only his weaker firearm.

"Hiei," Jin smiled to the ground before raising his eyes. "Cahn we talk?"

_(end scene)_

Okay, I promise to try to update the next chapter sooner. I'll do even better if you guys review, though! Reviews keep me going, for sure!

Also, I wrote a Yusuke/Kurama ficlet called Call Me When You're Sober. You should go check it out!


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